Anita Desai like her first novel Cry the Peacock (1963) wins the Sahitya Academy award for her second novel too-Voices in the City (1965) concentrating on the theme of occurrence of displacement after marriage. Be it Maya in Cry, the Peacock or be it Monisha in Voices in the city – both are not able to free themselves from old accustomed,
traditions, beliefs and feelings that repress their self-expression and are an
obstacle to their talent, endurance and their self-control. In fact, Maya in Cry, the Peacock and Monisha in Voices in the City are well educated,
emotional sensitive, self-conscious women. But they are not able to revolt
against tradition and this becomes one of the major reasons as change does not come until
their death. The eternal silence of these two characters Maya and Monisha can
be called as surrender to the diverse socio- cultural circumstances categorized
as the silence of despair, anger, protest, agony, cultural duality or
combinations of all having deep agonizing experience in the process of settlement
in a new place as one undergoes to cultural dilemma and panic feelings of
displacement.
Background of novel is set in Calcutta. Calcutta served as the capital of India
till 1911. Many people are from Calcutta among several Nobel laureates have
contributed to the arts, the sciences, and other areas. Calcutta the principal
commercial, cultural and educational centre of East India is described with the
images of Howrah, Choringhee, and Grand Hotel, Victoria Memorial etc. There is
ample evidence of culture of Calcutta displaying food (non vegetarian pan),
cloth (sari, dhoti), place, language (Bengali), tradition (Kumkum, red Sari),
religion (Durga Puja) etc. According to Hindu mythology we are now in Kali-Yuga -the fourth stage of the cosmic time frame which will eventually lead to the final dissolution of the universe. That is the reason this is called as Kaliyug. The old name of Calcutta is Kali-kata. In Hinduism, Kali is the most ferocious deity form with destructive power -standing with one foot on the thigh, and another on the chest of her husband, Shiva. The voice of city Calcutta -is voiced as a city of ‘death’. Anita Desai's matchless, sharp and meticulous
narrative technique of art to portray each and every little feature of the
scene, manner of walking, speaking, wearing clothes - an image as if it
is happening right now in front of us-around. Calcutta is the city of Kali.
The
novel Voices in the City (1965) a story of a psychological problem of a Bohemian
family-Arun, Nirode, Monisha and Amla and their mother. The story revolves
around the cultural change of city Calcutta and its repercussion on them. Voices in the City is divided into four
separated chapters dealing respectively four major characters- Nirode, Monisha,
Amla, and Mother. Arun (sent to England for higher studies) is a successful
person who achieves glorious awards and bright opportunities to move further in
life. However, Nirode feels envious due to pessimistic opinion of childhood
days spent with Arun under father care. It leads severe friction in his life.
Niride, Monisha and Amla are the victim of personal suffering who needs
guidance, direction and inspiration to satisfy young hopes and aspiration in
cultural sphere of metropolitan life. Mother has very formal, distant
relationship with their children because of her extra marital affair with major
Chaddha. Nirode is obsessed with her unfair relationship and considers her a
she-cannibal as she has an affair in Kalimpong which itself is a consequence of
dissonance in husband-wife relationship.
The novel begins with Nirode’s frustration, disappointment and hopelessness
towards life. Nirod is financial weak who wants to get the chance to start up a
new carrier as an editor of vastly artistic little periodical ‘Voice’. Like
boss-as editor of ‘Voice’, Nirode allows him to grow professionally to become
tender towards his beloved friends to make his relationship comprehensible and
organized- Sonny (son of Jamindar who loves dogs and whose father is fond of
owning leopard), Professor (who is an old man, writes school text, teacher of
primary school, wears dhoti.), Jit Nair (who has the brilliant prodigy of
Southern university and has come to Bengal to assert himself amongst the
renowned artists and litterateurs. Jit is married to Sarla, mourns over his
lost days often.)Dharma (married with a woman who is simple, cultured, wears
red Sari, Kumkum marked hair. Dharma is only the man whose criticism and advice
Nirode takes seriously), David (Whose company Nirode likes very much) and
discuss on painting, fable from Panchtantra ,Picasso ,eminent poets, love for
Tagore’s Gitanjali, creative writing, non vegetarian food (i.e. meat ball,
pulaos ) Nirode however, dislikes dogs at Sonny’s home but likes Bengal Pan.
Nirode loves historical places in Calcutta and has a good discussion with
Sonny’s father on comparison between greatest classical artists and
contemporary artists reminding Mumtaz and Jahan Ara begam. In company of
his good friends he feels serene and surprisingly cheerful at work with promising
good career advancement. Nirode finds her mother’s letter but Nirode's
relationship with his mother is a love-hate relationship.
While his elder sister, Monisha is married to Jiban lives out a traditional
Hindu life. Monisha is misfit in her husband’s home. After marriage, Monisha is
subjected to serious nature of loneliness and lack of communication leading
displacement problem. Also difference between the two person and two family background and incompatible temperament
results displacement. Monisha's husband Jiban is captivated in conservative culture. He believes that a woman’s most important roles besides
child bearing are cooking, cutting vegetables, serving food and brushing small
children's hair under the authority of a stern mother-in-law. Monisha is childless woman. Jiban is never with her; always he is busy with his middle rank
government job earning money for his joint family. He ignores her newly married
wife’s desires and expectations. As a result, Monisha feels deserted. Her diary shows as she is imprisoned in four wall of conventional culture of her matrimonial family. She desperately yearns to have her own baby. Due her Gynecological problem she can not have a child and suffers from
severe mental disorder- Claustrophobia like Maya in Cry, the Peacock . She is alienated from his
mother as well as her husband. Monisha experiences difficulty in transforming from old atoned
mental, emotional framework into the changed new identity. Monisha is the reflections of misbehave and domestic violence by her husband and family. No one is there with Monisha to think of her agony and solve problem. Her sister Amla is a commercial
artist in Bombay who does not find ways to life in Bombay and returns Calcutta and
falls in love with -Dharma. As Monisha is not able to become mother she is blamed as a thief
of gold necklace at her own home by her husband and mother-in-law that was
unbearable for her. She experiences hurt and humiliation in Jiban's world. To get relief from disturbed mental condition; to find emotional
treatment she seeks solution in detachment theory of Gita and ultimately finds no way of survival. These all cruel
realities of life as a self -punishment caused her to commit suicide.
Similarly, Nirode’s frustrate, disappointed mind becomes hindrance in the path
of peace and hope which ultimately pushing him in blind valley of death. In the
words of Salman Rashdie in Imaginary Homelands: Essay and
Criticism: “Sometimes we feel straddle two cultures; at other times.
That we fall between two tools”.
Work Cited
Desai,
Anita. Voices in the City. Delhi, Orientpaperbacks, 2001.Print
Rashdie
Salman, Imaginary Homelands: Essay and Criticism: 1981-1991 Diaspora
